11-MONTH SWANNANOA VALLEY RIM EXPLORER HIKING SERIES BEGINS FEB. 15

9:40 PM,
Feb. 5, 2014

Hiker Greg Kershner walks along a ridge as part of the Swannanoa Valley Rim Explorer Hiking Series.

Written by

Edwin Arnaudin,

An increasingly popular option for Western North Carolina hikers, the 11-month Swannanoa Valley Rim Explorer Hiking Series offers physically demanding activity and area insight from locals who know the land well.

"We'd been doing hikes before that, but wanted to come up with something that was really challenging and unique for people to see our history come to life," said Anne Chesky Smith, executive director of the Swannanoa Valley Museum, which organizes the series.

"We don't have room in the museum for programming, so to do that outside of the museum is a unique way to take people to that ...